


World in Ruins

by angelicbangtan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Implied Sexual Content, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Kissing, M/M, Minor Matt Holt/Shiro, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining Keith (Voltron), Possible Character Death, Slow Burn, Some Humor, Space Mom Allura (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2018-11-23 08:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 17,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11399187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelicbangtan/pseuds/angelicbangtan
Summary: Keith takes a few deep breaths before continuing. "If only I was faster. If I didn't waste time. I could've saved you.""Stop with the 'if's' and 'what could've happened', Keith. It is what it is and it's not your fault. Who knows, maybe even if you got there earlier it would've still ended up like this."Keith swallows past the lump in his throat. "... I'll miss you," he confesses, his voice small.[There are elements of a few zombie AU's in this fanfic, mostly The Walking Dead and The Last of Us]





	1. blue lips

"Lance, wake up," he feels Keith's hand gently shaking his shoulder. Lance groans and turns his body on the other side.

"Five more minutes," he mumbles.

"You said that ten minutes ago. We gotta go while it's still early."

"I need my beauty sleep."

" _Lance."_

He groans again but sits up. Keith is standing by the bed in the RV that they have been living in for almost two months now. Slowly rubbing his eyes, he stands up looking for clothes to change into and his weapons.

Keith goes outside while he changes. He takes a moment to look in the mirror.

_Still lookin' as good as ever, even in the middle of an apocalypse... Ah, who am I kidding?_

He looks tired. Drained. In all honesty, it reflects how he's feeling. Sometimes he can't see the point in all of this. He wants it all to go back to the way it was. Back to the time when he still had his family. When he still had his normal life.

His eyes stop on the black necklace around his neck. There's a small silver heart shaped pendant. Well, half-heart shaped. Together with the other half, it spells out "Best Friends". Now it's just "Be Frie". Incomplete. There's a small "H" engraved on the other side of the pendant.

He misses Hunk.

Keith and Lance were separated from the rest of their group about five months ago. He doesn't know where they are, but he hopes they're okay.

He hopes he'll get to see all of them again.

Lance leaves the RV before his thoughts get a chance to make him emotional.

Keith is waiting for him in the car. Any other day he would complain about Keith not letting him drive, but stays silent this time. Lance rests his head against the window. His eyes are open, but not paying attention to anything in particular.

He doesn't know how much time passes when they finally arrive at the store in town. They get out of the car, closing the doors by leaning their weight against them until they hear a click rather than slamming them shut. They don't take any risks like that anymore. Even that noise can get you killed these days.

The doors of the store are made of glass. Shattering it would create too much noise, so they make their way behind the store, looking for a backdoor or some other way to enter without making a big ruckus.

 

**˙   ˙   ˙**

 

"Keith, my man, we found a gold mine," Lance says while his eyes roam all over the store. It was completely untouched. Has it been this way since the start?

"Let's just get all the stuff we need and get outta here. I don't have a good feeling about this."

"You  _never_  have a good feeling about anything," Lance smirks.

Keith didn't answer. Lance starts looking around. He forms a devilish plan in his head. He makes his way to the dairy aisle. "On a scale on one to ten, how disgusting do you think these eggs smell?"

Keith turns to look at him. "Uh... like a twelve?" He shrugs and goes back to searching whatever he was searching for.

Lance smirks again.

"Yeah, probably." He slowly takes one of the boxes, but somehow knocks another on the floor. The sound triggers Keith into his 'attack mode' and he is already holding his knife. His shoulders visibly deflate when he see that the threat is just a stinky box of eggs on the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" He whisper-yells.

"Nothing?"

He narrows his eyes at Lance. "You were going to throw those at me, weren't you?"

"No?" He couldn't fight the smile forming on his lips.

Keith sighs. "Just... I'll find the food. You go find the candles. We have only a few left in the RV."

He puts the box of eggs back on the shelf. "Dinner with candles? You're so romantic, Keith," he says as he goes on his way to the other side of the store to find the candles.

Lance finds joy in teasing Keith. Sometimes he could even make him blush but-

"Anything for you, babe," Keith says nonchalantly as if it's the most normal thing for him.

-sometimes the tables turn and everything backfires at Lance.

 

 **˙   ˙   ˙**  

 

When Lance returns, the front door of the store is open; Keith managed to find the key somewhere.

They take their supplies and place them in the trunk of the car.

"Where's your gun?" Keith inquired him.

Lance's hands instinctively fly to his pockets, as if he is looking for his phone; he wishes things could still be that simple. When his biggest concern in life were his grades and if his parents would let him spend the weekend at Hunk's place.

"Shit, I'll be right back", Lance dashes through the doors of the store.

Lance's gun  _was_  on this shelf. He is a hundred percent sure he left it here.

_Why is it gone now?_

Oh, how he wishes that question was left unanswered.

Lance's breath hitched at the sound of someone cocking a gun behind him.

"Turn around slowly. Don't try anything so I don't have to make you regret it," he hears a voice through gritted teeth.

He could do as they say. He knows he won't live through that. This world changed people. He made his choice.

Lance slowly starts turning his body around. His mind is mostly blank, except for one thought.

_Get the gun._

He sees a glimpse of brown hair and a girls face. His eyes quickly switch to her right arm which is outstretched, holding the gun. She's not too far away from him. Perfect distance to just-

The gun hits the ground with a thud. Lance doesn't really know how he managed to do it, but he was grateful for his body going on auto-pilot and following his instincts in the heat of the moment. Lance is met with a punch to the face only a second after. His vision is blurred for a second. He blinks twice. His nose is bleeding.

_Great._

She tries going for the gun again. Lance pushes her into the row of shelves on his left, almost losing his own footing in the process.

The girl uses the situation and grabs something off the shelf, whacking Lance on the head with it. He didn't get the sight of the thing she hit him with, but it hurt like  _hell._

Lance is met with the barrel of the gun.  _Again._

For a moment, everything is quiet. Then, the sound of a gunshot rips through the silence, breaking it like glass, and everything goes black.


	2. partners in crime

The girl falls to the floor. The sound of the gunshot is still ringing in Lance's ears.

He turns his body towards the shooter; Keith. He is still holding his gun up, the barrel pointing at where the girls head was just a moment before.

Neither of them has ever killed a living person.

"Keith, are y-" Lance is cut off by yells from outside.

"Michelle?!" The voice continues a little quieter, but enough for them to hear. "The bitch didn't have a gun, did she?"

Keith still didn't budge.

"Keith, we gotta go," Lance frantically keeps looking at the door, just waiting for the people from outside to barge in, then back at Keith. He slowly takes the gun away from him and places it back in the holster on his belt.

Something snapped in Keith and soon they were for running for their car outside of the store.

Lance is almost out of the store when a dark figure with a gun moves in front of the door, blocking their way.

"Now, now, no need to rush, boys", the man is pointing his gun at them. More people appear. Lance counts seven of them; three to his left and four on his right, including the man that has them at gunpoint. They can't fight them. It is possible that they could fight them and survive, but their chances are slim.

"Get the car, Josh. We're taking these two fellas on a road trip. I'm sure Wayne would be thrilled to meet them," the man says to, who Lance assumed is, Josh.

They tie their hands, but not before taking Lance's gun and Keith's knife away. After that, they stuff them in the trunk of a car.

"I think we might've fucked up a little bit."

"Ya  _think_?"

 

**˙   °   ˙**

 

The car ride is bumpy, lots of twists and turns. The driver also sucks. Whenever they turned right Keith's knee would ram into Lance's ribs. He is almost relieved when the car comes to a stop and they are pulled out of the trunk. It's dark outside.

A huge gray building is on the left. Lance assumes it was a factory of some kind before. Now apparently a home to someone called Wayne.

They are being led inside. The walls of the hallways are plain. Torches light up the walls. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance catches sight of Keith; he's keeping his gaze glued on the floor.

An uncomfortable feeling starts forming in Lance's stomach.

_Something's gonna go bad._

They turn left. A huge open space spreads ahead of them; a warehouse. Lance counts at least fifteen people in one corner. They are huddled around a fire in a barrel that provides them with both light and warmth. He feels their eyes on him as soon as they entered the room.

"I'll go get him," says someone behind Lance. He hears quick retracing steps back in the hallway. Someone pushes him towards.

Keith and he are a few feet apart from each other, both on their knees with their hands still tied. The people from the corner surround them. No one speaks.

One by one, the lights in the warehouse start turning on. Even the humming and buzzing of the LED lamps seems too loud in this situation.

Someone walks through the door. The circle of people clears; they move behind Keith and Lance.

 _He must be Wayne,_ Lance thinks as the man walks up to them as if he owns the place. He probably does, but  _still_.

Lance assumes he's in his mid-forties judging by the lines of his face and the slightly gray sideburns.

"Hello, boys," he greets them in a British accent that Lance decides is definitely fake. "I'm Wayne. How about you introduce yourselves?"

They both stay quiet.

"Not big talkers, I guess. You're more about the action I hear," he puts his hands in the pockets of his frayed jeans. He's looking at Keith and Lance from above; his head held high. Everything about him reeks of self-conceit.

"My friend 'ere," he nods his head towards the guy on his right; the one who held Lance, "told me that you shot my Shelly. Now, Michelle was  _really_ _important_  to me and I must say that you've hurt my  _feelings_  when you blowed her  _brains_ out _."_

The tone of his voice was firm and serious, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

_Is this all a joke to him? Some sick game that he's playing?_

"So which one of you fuckers was the one that shot my Shelly? With that bitch gone, I'm gonna need a replacement, so I wanna know," he's looking at Lance, then at Keith, "which one of you is the  _lucky winner._ "

Silence.

"Do I really have to start chopping parts of you to get an answer?" He's laughing as he speaks.

More silence.

"How about I start with you?" He is looking at Lance again. "You don't really need all ten fingers, do you?" He takes out a knife from the sheath on his belt.

"Leave him alone. It was me." Keith grits through his teeth.

" _Now_  we're  _talking."_

"Keith, no!" Lance's eyes are blown wide. The uncomfortable feeling in his stomach grows.

"Keith?  _That's_ your name?" Wayne's laughing again. Keith is glaring at him.

_If only looks could kill._

"But, I'm still not done with your friend. What did we say it's gonna be? A finger?" He drags the tip of the knife along Lance's jaw. Lance doesn't dare to move. "Or maybe you'd prefer if I cut off your ears so you don't hear  _Keith's_  screams when I-"

"I  _said_ it was me. He has nothing to do with this!" Lance almost winces when he hears Keith. He sounds desperate and scared.

Wayne sighs and puts the knife away. He's slowly walking over to Keith.

He pulls Keith's head up by pulling his bangs. He's smirking while his eyes roam all over Keith's face.

"You're even prettier than her," he leans closer to Keith and whispers loud enough for me to hear. "I wonder if you can be louder than her as well."

Wayne slightly turns his head while he was talking, so he can let Lance see the disgusting smirk on his face.

He's doing all this just to rile him up.

It's working.

"Let him go, you filthy bastard!" Lance struggles against the ropes that are holding his hands behind his back in an attempt to free his hands, but to no avail. The guy standing behind him puts his hands on Lance's shoulders, painfully digging his fingers into his skin. Lance stops struggling.

Wayne lets Keith go and straightens his posture. "No need to be jealous. There's plenty of me to go around."

He's smirking again. Lance feels sick.

"Alright, everyone get back to work. Boys, take them to the cells. I'll have some fun after dinner." Lance can't see to who Wayne walks to, but hears his words. "Use it if they cause trouble. I want them alive."

Two of the guys that brought them here step forward and help them up on their feet.

They are being led through the hallway again. Lance tries to remember the way back. The walls remain the same monotone shade of gray. All the twists and turns of the hallway start making him dizzy. The only thing on his mind is that they need to escape. He and Keith could take those two down. Lance hopes they at far enough that the people in the warehouse won't hear anything. There won't be a second chance if they screw up.

He needs to warn Keith before he strikes. "Hey, Samurai."

Keith looks up at him. After living with each other 24/7 for the last five months, constantly having to fight to stay alive, they've created a strong mental bond in dire situations.

Keith gives him a small nod.

"Keep quiet!" The guy behind Lance pushes his shoulder and he stumbles.

"Okay, jeez," he says turning his head to get a glimpse of the guard.

He turns forward again, taking a few steps and then swinging his elbow as hard as he can where he estimated the guard's face was. He hears a crack on impact. The guard's hands instinctively fly to his bleeding nose and he stumbles a few steps back. Lance uses these moments to attempt to loosen the ropes around his wrists. Whoever tied the knots probably never even tied their shoe laces correctly, because after a few strong tugs Lance's hands are free.

He pushes the guard towards the wall, hitting his head a few times before he falls to the ground unconscious. He hears Keith grunt in pain.

_Shit. Keith._

Lance turns to him. The guard is on the floor, but Keith is coughing and vigorously rubbing his eyes.

"Keith, buddy, what happened?" Lance puts his hand on Keith's shoulder.

"Pepper spray."

"Shit. Okay, just blink."

"I can't, it hurts."

"I know, but you have to get it out of your eyes."

His eyes are red, watering and hurting like hell, but he listens to Lance. "C'mon, we gotta get out of here and we gotta hurry."

"I can't see anything," Keith says. Lance sighs exasperatedly.

All or nothing. He takes a hold of Keith's hand and interlocks their fingers. "I'll lead you."

He's kind of glad that Keith can't really see at the moment because he would've probably made fun of Lance's blush. Lance leads them through the hallways, almost getting lost a few times. He can hear his blood thumping in his ears from adrenaline.

There's a guard at the exit. He lets go of Keith's hand and tells him to stay there. Lance sneaks up to the guard and takes him out. He also takes his gun; they need all the weapons they can get.

"That wasn't very nice of you," Wayne didn't even finish his sentence and Lance already turned around and pointed his gun at him. Then he froze. He was ready to shoot right then and there, but Wayne had a knife under Keith's neck. "How about we make a deal? You're free to go."

Lance doesn't budge.

"No consequences at a-"

"I'm not going anywhere without Keith."

"Then lower your gun or there won't be a Keith anymore."

"Just go," Keith whispers.

He contemplates his options. Listening to Keith isn't an option. If he shoots he'll kill Wayne, there's no doubt about that. But what if he hurts Keith in the process? What if his aim is off? Or if Wayne manages to move his hand and kill Keith?

Someone makes the choice for him. There is a laser point of a sniper on his forehead and a moment later a bullet hole replaces its spot.

Wayne doesn't let go of his knife as he falls.

"Keith!" Lance runs to him.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch," he presses the palm of his hand to the wound to minimize the bleeding.

"Come on, you idiots!" They born turn to the voice coming from the door.

"Pidge?!"

"No time for greetings, let's go."

They follow Pidge without further questions. The three of them find themselves driving away in the back of a van.

Pidge is the first to speak up. "That's Sara at the wheel. We have a camp a few miles from here. There is around fifteen of us."

"Pidge... we haven't seen each other almost half a year," Lance's voice breaks.

"I..." they stay quiet for a few seconds, "We all thought we lost both of you. We thought you were..."

A group hug followed.

They arrive at the camp after approximately twenty minutes. Lance stretches his limbs after coming out of the van. He looks around. The camp is positioned in a clearing that is surrounded by a forest. He could make out a few campers and houses in the dark. It seems like a pretty big space, but it's still too dark to be sure.

"Let's go wake up Coran so he can treat your wounds."

"Allura's uncle?" Keith asks.

"Do you know anyone else named Coran?" Pidge grins and walks to a small house to their right.

They knock on the door a few times. Coran opens the door with a lantern in hand. "Pidge? Did something happen?"

"I've got two patients for you," Pidge grins, their eyes glistening.

Coran lifts the lantern to get a better look and he almost drops the source of light. He quickly hands the lantern to Pidge and almost tackles Keith and Lance when he pulls them into a hug.

"Sara and I were checking on Wayne's place when I saw them. And uh, Wayne won't be a threat anymore," Pidge says. Coran understands what they're trying to say.

Coran lets go of them and turns to Pidge. He's quiet for a second. "You or Sara?"

"Me," Pidge whispers.

Coran nods. He walks to Pidge, takes the lantern from their hands and puts his hand on their shoulder. "Go seek Allura. She's probably awake."

"She still doesn't sleep?"

"Probably won't until he gets back. She could use some company."

Pidge sighs. "I'll talk her, but, I have to show Lance and Keith where they're going to sleep first."

 

**˙   ˚   ˙**

 

Pidge awaits them in front of Coran's house after he's done patching them up. Keith and Lance thank Coran for all he's done for them and bid him goodnight.

"Come with me," Pidge tells them and leads them to the other side of the camp where a few trailers are parked. "Lance, you'll be staying here and Keith you'll-"

"Um, actually, it's fine, uh, I mean..." Lance trails off.

"Oh. Oooh," Pidge grins.

"No, don't get any ideas, it's not like that. It's just that we've been through way too much today."

"It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself. But then take Keith's trailer, it has a bigger bed."

"You wanted to give  _Keith_  the bigger bed?!"

Pidge shrugs. "Well, I  _did_ almost shoot him today."

"You  _did_?" Keith asks.

"It was in the heat of the moment. Don't forget to lock the doors. We cleared the whole forest of walkers, but you can never be too careful."


	3. friends

Keith and Lance are sitting at the table in the trailer, waiting for Pidge to bring them new clothes for tomorrow and pajamas. Just when Lance is about to start a conversation or attempt to start a conversation if Keith's involved, the doors open and Pidge runs up the stairs with their arms full of clothes.

"Hey, I forgot to ask Coran, but how does his house have electricity?" Lance asks.

"Every house here has electricity. I'll introduce you to the guy that helped me with that tomorrow. Here. These should fit," they say, putting the clothes on the table in front of Lance and Keith

Lance picks up a gray shirt with a red outline on the collar and the sleeves. He reads the writing on the front. "Pidge... What the fuck?"

Pidge is wearing a devilish smirk on their face. "Is there something wrong?" They say barely managing to hold in their laughter

Lance turns the shirt around and shows the front with 'Mrs." and a few red hearts in the upper right corner of the writing. "You got us couple pajamas?"

Pidge fucking loses it at that.

Keith crosses his arms and looks unamused. As usual.

Lance glares at Pidge with his hands on his hips and pouting until Pidge finally composes themselves and are capable of forming a sentence. "I was actually saving these for someone else, but I'll improvise when they get together."

"Pidge, Lance and I are not together. We're just friends," Keith defends.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go put them on, I wanna see how you look."

"This is so stupid," Lance huffs out while standing up. Keith remains unmoved. Pidge looks at him.

" _Both_ of you," Pidge demands.

Keith raises his shoulders in question, his arms still crossed. "Why do I have to suffer? You almost _shot_ me today."

"Exactly, _almost_. You should me thanking me," Pidge crosses their arms in a sassy manner.

Keith is flabbergasted. "Just five minutes ago outside you said that the least you could so is-"

Pidge interrupts him with a bunch of gibberish to stop him from continuing. Seeing that he can't win against them, he takes the shirts and the plaid pajama bottoms that match the color of the shirts and goes into the bedroom with Lance to change. After living together for over half a year all awkwardness about changing in the same room is gone.

Pidge can hear their conversation.

"I want to wear the one with "Mr".

"Tough luck, Lance."

"C'mooon. Blue's my favorite color, you wear the red one."

"..."

Lance opens the doors. He's wearing blue and Keith is wearing red.

"Happy now?" Keith asks Pidge. They nod grinning.

"I gotta admit, we would make a pretty hot couple. With my good looks and," he looks up and down at Keith. "Well, that's about it."

"You're an asshole."

"A handsome asshole."

"How can an asshole be handsome?"

"You'd be surprised. In fact-"

This is when Pidge interrupts him. " _Okay_ , I've had enough. Good night," they exit the trailer at the speed of light.

"What's wrong with them?"

"I dunno, I'm tired," Keith basically throws himself on the bed. "It's been a long day."

Remembering Pidge's warning, Lance locks the door and then joins Keith on the bed.

"It _has_ been a long day," he sighs. "Wanna talk about it?"

"No. Don't push it."

"Keith, back at the store-"

"You're _pushing_ it," Keith's tone is cold.

"What I'm trying to say is that you saved my life back there."

"Yeah, by taking someone else's."

Lance is quiet for a moment, then allows himself to continue. "Would you rather want that it was me that died?"

Keith doesn't even have to think about his answer. "No, of course not."

"Then stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. It was either her or me back there. Thank you," he whispers the last part.

Keith doesn't answer.

"We almost died three times each today."

Keith finally speaks up. "Why didn't you leave?"

"What?"

"Wayne told you that you could go."

Lance is confused. "So?"

"So I'm asking why didn't you. Who knows what would've happened if Pidge wasn't there."

"I meant what I said back there. I'm not going anywhere without you. We're a team. A good one as well. Do you think I would've survived for so long out there if I didn't have you to watch my back?"

"Yeah, probably not," Keith smiles for the first time this night. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just let be thankful and don't question it."

"Okay, damn," Lance laughs.


	4. do re mi

Lance wakes up to the sound of knocking on his door. The spot beside him is empty. Keith must've left a lot earlier because his spot is cold. 

_Fucking vampire._

He hears another knock. "Okay, okay, I'm coming."

He sits up and sighs, his hands on his knees. He feels slightly nauseous. Slowly, he stands up and walks to the door.  

There are no words that could accurately describe what he felt when he opened the door. 

" _Hunk_?!" Lance yells and jumps in Hunk's arms, not even completely finishing walking down the stairs, but jumping midway down instead. Hunk almost looses his balance when Lance throws himself at him. 

"Okay, ow, Lance. Can't. Breathe." 

"Sorry," Lance loosens his hold on him. "Oh, man, I haven't seen you in so long."

"I told you I'll introduce you the guy I'm working with," he hears Pidge say. 

"By the way, what are you wearing?" Hunk laughs. 

Lance growls. "The gremlin made me and Keith wear matching pajamas. Uh, speaking of Keith, where is he?"

"He had breakfast about an hour ago. Sonya volunteered to show him around," Hunk explains. 

"Who's Sonya?"

"Ooh, is someone jealous?" Pidge asks, a smug grin on their face. 

"Yeah, of him."

Pidge squints their eyes at him. "You're so full of shit, McClain."

"Pidge, stop swearing, you're like nine."

"I'm fourteen, so shut the fuck up."

 

˙   °   ˙

 

Lance went back into the trailer to change out of those godforsaken pajamas into a new outfit which consisted of a plaid teal sleeveless shirt and dark blue jeans. He went outside and had some breakfast; Hunk is a blessing. He's in charge of cooking. Hunk can make anything taste good. 

Now, Lance is sitting on a bench by the edge of the camp. This is the first time he actually managed to really take a look at the place. It's nice. _Really_ nice. A few trailers and wooden houses on a clearing surrounded by a thick forest. Hunk mentioned there's a lake less than half a mile south of the camp. Lance doesn't know where south is, but he'll make sure to check out that lake. 

It's still early. He can only see a glimpse of the sun that's rising above the trees. The air is fresh; it rained last night. He sees Keith speed walking towards the cars on the other side of the camp. He's wearing a black tank top and _dear Lord are those skinny jeans?_ Keith notices him and beckons Lance to come with. Lance gets up and jogs to him. Keith is already getting in the car by the time he reaches him. Lance sits in the passenger seat. 

"Where are we going?" He asks. 

"To get our RV," Keith says quickly, starting the car and driving down the road out of the camp.

"Okay, but why are we in such a hurry?"

"So that girl doesn't decide to invite herself with us."

"Oh, Sonya?" Lance asks in a singsong voice.

"More like _my biggest nightmare_. I was just taking to Hunk and all of a sudden she comes up to me, introduces herself and she basically _pulled me_ out of my seat to show me around the camp. I can go around the camp by _myself_ ," Keith rambles and Lance can't stop the grin on his face as he watches Keith growing more frustrated as he talks. 

"Dude, calm down," Lance laughs. 

"I can't. She was all _over_ me."

"Sounds to me like someone's got a crush on you," Lance leans his head on the seat and crosses his arms. He closes his eyes. 

"Huh, not my type."

"You have a type? What _is_ your type?"

_Tall. Short brown hair. Tan skin. Blue eyes. A smile that could light up the darkest moments._

"Not her."

Lance laughs.

 

˙   °   ˙

 

He managed to pursue Keith to let him drive the RV back to the camp. Keith followed with the car. Lance parks the RV in the corner of the camp, under the shade of a few nearby trees.

Lance notices there are more cars and two vans than when they left. Everyone is gathered by one of the vans. He gets out of the RV and goes to join to see why's everyone there. Then he sees Keith running towards the group. He also heard him yell out something, but he wasn't paying attention to hear what he said. He sees Keith jump into someone's arms. 

_Holy shit._

Lance recognizes the man. His idol. The man whose footsteps he wanted to follow and become an astronaut. He's never met him, never even thought he would. But there he is. _Takashi Shirogane_. Hugging the living daylights out of Keith.

With his knees shaking, he makes his way to them. 

"Lance, meet Shiro. My brother," Keith says with a smile, letting go of Shiro. 

Lance tries his best to introduce himself without his voice cracking. He _kind of_ succeeds. They shake hands and _holy shit_ this is one of the best moments in Lance's life.

Later on, Lance finds out that Shiro is the leader of the group. He was collecting resources with a few other members of the group. Lance doesn't remember all of their names but knows that one of them is Allura's father, Alfor. Allura was supposed to go with them, but she got sick so Coran insisted that she stays behind this time. She was so worried about him that she couldn't sleep while they were gone. 

Lance can't help but overhear the conversation going on between Keith and... Mike? Is that his name? Lance is pretty sure it is. He's got light brown hair with eyes of the same color. He's tall and his frame is bigger than Lance. If his height does not intimidate Lance enough, his muscular arms and chest that is visible through his shirt will do the job just fine. His face could use a shave though.

"You've changed," Mike says with a smirk. 

"It doesn't seem like you did," Keith spats.

"You two know each other?" Lance pipes in. Keith keeps staring daggers at Mike, refusing to answer Lance. He honestly doesn't know how to reply and explain.

"Oh, yes. We go all the way back," the smirk on Mike's face is starting to make Keith sick. "Before it all went to shit."

"It went to shit with _us_ before the dead started feeding on the living," Keith is holding his head high. The tone of his voice is cold, you could almost say it sounds calm, but there is a wild fire raging in his eyes. 

Lance still doesn't fully understand the situation, but he is ninety-nine percent sure Mike just _got told_. Lance has never seen Keith act like this. Calm, but furious at the same time. Keith is either calm or angry, not passive aggressive like this. 

For a moment Mike looks like he just got the air punched out of his lungs, but he regains himself quickly. He lets out a laugh that sounds like mockery to Lance. "The Change certainly gave you a pair of balls."

Mike pats Keith on the head. The next moment his face is pressed into the muddy ground of the camp, his arm is being held by Keith behind his back. Lance barely managed to blink before Keith tackled Mike to the ground.

"Touch me ever again and you'll be picking your teeth off the ground."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are my life force


	5. polarize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter because I've been dealing with writer's block

"Keith, knock it off!" He hears Shiro's stern voice. Keith lets go of Mike.

"What the hell is  _he_  doing here, Shiro?"

"We'll talk about it later."

Keith is not having that. "We'll talk about it  _now_."

Shiro sighs then turn to the rest of the group. He tells them to get the supplies out of the cars and that there will be a meeting after dinner. He then tells Keith to follow him. They make their way to a small house. It looks nothing special inside. A bed by the window, a bookshelf, a table for four that is filled with papers and maps. Keith leans his back against the wall and crosses his arms. He stays quiet.

Shiro sits by the table. "Okay, I know you're angry but we couldn't just leave him out there. We found him about three months ago while searching for supplies and he was badly injured." Keith interrupts him by saying that he doesn't care if he was dying. 

" _Let_  me finish. He wasn't alone. There was a girl. He said she's his family. I don't know what exactly he meant by that but she was pregnant and we couldn't just leave them. She was bit a while ago. He was really broken up about it."

"I don't care about his mental state, I just want him to stay the hell away from me."

Shiro promises him that he'll talk to Mike about it. Still, Keith's nerves aren't calm when he leaves the house. And even if they were, they wouldn't be anymore when he notices Mike talking to Lance.

Keith slams the door of the house and goes into their RV. The noise catches Lance's attention and he excuses himself from the conversation he was having with Mike.

Keith is laying face first on the bed when Lance comes in.

"Okay, what the hell was that out there?"

"Define  _that._ "

"Well, first I find out that  _the_ Takashi Shirogane is your  _brother_ , then you fucking tackle some dude into the mud."

"Shiro is my adoptive brother and Mike is my ex."

Lance lets the new information a few seconds to settle. "Okay but  _still_. I don't go around throwing  _my_ ex's  onto the ground."

Keith finally raises his head from the mattress and moves so he's sitting on the edge of the bed. Lance is there sitting next to him in a second. Keith figures there is no way around this but to tell Lance the truth. All though he won't tell him  _everything_. Just as much so he can understand the situation better. He rests his elbows on his knees and holds his head with his hands.

"For as long as I can remember, I was always moved from different orphanages and foster homes. Then one day, I've had enough so I escaped. I was already too old for a family to adopt. Who would wanna adopt and then put up with a teenager with anger issues? I met Mike on the streets. He was okay at the time. I had a place to stay and he had... a toy to pass time with I guess. I was in a really bad place back then. Everything bad you would hear that happens on the streets I was involved in one way or the other. Then, long story short because I  _really_ don't wanna get into details about it, he started being abusive so I left. Ran again, met Shiro and then his family took me in."

Lance is speechless. He puts his hand on Keith's back in a comforting manner. His voice is low when he speaks up. "Keith, I'm so sorry. I... I didn't know."

After a few moments, Keith looks up at him with a smile and replies in a husky voice. "S'okay. Really. That's all behind me now." 

 


	6. stigma - part 1

It seemed as if time is passing quicker now that they are with a group of people. Keith and Lance adjusted really well. Hunk and Pidge worked together to install solar panels on their RV to provide them with electricity. The whole camp is basically running on solar power combined with a small wind turbine that is on a tall pole that stretches above the trees.

Winter passes in a blur. Lance is sitting on a cliff and watching the sunrise.  It's beautiful out here. He shivers in the slightest. A pair of jeans and a black tank top didn't do much to keep him warm in the crisp morning air.

He can see a river in the valley beneath the cliff. Hunk took him fishing there a few times. They even managed to convince Keith to come with them. Lance had a  _great_ time. Especially when he pushed Keith in the water. Months ago he would've yelled at him but now, Keith laughed along with Lance and Hunk. Keith made them even by pulling Lance in the water when he outstretched his arm in an attempt to pull Keith out of the water.

But lately, Lance feels disconnected from Keith. Maybe because that girl Sonya keeps stealing him away. Lance notices Keith's annoyment whenever she asked for help or for him to come with her. He didn't say anything though and neither has Keith.

He is up in an instant when he hears footsteps approaching from the forest. "Relax, it's just me," he sees Shiro come out from the shadows. No matter how much time he spends near Shiro, he still gets nervous sometimes. 

"Oh, hey, Shiro," Lance attempts to relax and sits down again. Shiro joins him.

"Keith said I might find you here. You weren't there at breakfast."

"Yeah, I don't really have an appetite lately. I guess this whole situation just got to me," he mutters, his eyes aimlessly wandering across the landscape.

"Wanna talk about it?" Shiro offers.

"Nah, I'd actually prefer to take my mind off it."

Shiro sighs then chuckle lightly. "In fact, I came to ask you if maybe you'd like to join us. A few of us are going out for more supplies. We'll be back in about three days if everything goes well."

Lance considers the option for a few moments. "I'd like that. I just need to be doing something so I can't overthink stuff."

"I'm glad I'll have you with us. We missed our sharpshooter last time," Shiro smiles, pats him on the back and the stands up. " We'll be leaving around noon."

"I'll be there."

He hears Shiro's retracing steps. Just then he lets Shiro's praise get to him.

_We missed our sharpshooter last time._

He plays it over and over in his mind. Getting praised by his idol is something Lance thought would never happen.

Last time they went out to gather supplies for a week was when snow was still covering most of the ground. Lance came down with a really bad flu and Coran didn't let him leave his sight let alone the camp.

Lance sits there watching the sunset for a few more minutes before getting up and going back to the camp.

Keith sits on a log next to their RV sharpening a knife. He looks up when he hears footsteps approaching him and smiles in the slightest when he sees that it's Lance. 

Lance greets him with a small 'hey' and sits next to him. Just then, as if she senses whenever Lance is near Keith, the devil approaches.

"Hey, Keith. Shiro said we'll take on the area we were looking at on the maps last week. We'll divide into pairs and work in sections so I was thinking that maybe you'd like to go with me," the way Sonya said it seemed more like an order than an offer to Lance. Keith clicks his tongue, already preparing an excuse.

Lance jumps in and saves him the trouble. "Actually, he's coming with me."

Sonya shoots a glare at him. She doesn't like him and the feeling is mutual. "I didn't realize you were coming with."

"Shiroinvited me," Lance smiles. He senses how much she wants to break his face. It makes him smile even wider.

"Well then", she looks up and down at Lance, "I'll be going."

Sonya turns around and basically stomps away, her long black ponytail swaying in the wind. Lance thinks she's attractive, but she has no good qualities personality-wise.

Keith didn't even lift his gaze on her while she was there. He whispers a small 'thanks' to Lance who nods in return.

They sit in comfortable silence for a minute until Lance gets up to pack some essentials and weapons for the road. They leave around noon like Shiro planned.

Eight of them are going. They take three cars with them. Shiro goes first and leads the way along with Matt, Sonya (who offered herself to go with Keith  _again_ but was denied) and a guy called Roger. Mike follows them together with a girl called Sara. That leaves Keith and Lance at the end of the row in a blue pickup truck. Lance is driving this time.

They arrive at their destination, which is a small town, about an hour before the sunset. 

Shiro puts the map of the town on the hood of his car. "Okay, this town is big about two and a half square miles. We'll  divide the area into four sections," he uses a red marker to visualize his words on the map, "Matt and I will take the northwest part of the town. Lance and Keith, you'll be in the northeast part. Southwest, Mike and Sara. That leaves Sonya and Roger the southeast. Remember, we're just cleaning the area of walkers. Try not to make much noise so we don't attract more of them here. If you're in trouble use your flare guns."

Shiro wishes them all good luck and then they're all on their way. It goes alright. Keith and Lance are almost done with their area.  Surprisingly, there weren't  _that_ many walkers. They work well as a team.

They go back to their car. The sun is almost completely behind the horizon when a flare lights up the sky. They rush into the car and start driving towards the location where the flare went up.

"Who was in that area?" Lance asks, feeling his pulse quickening by the minute.

"I'm not sure. I think Roger and Sonya," Keith sounds distressed. Then he whispers, "I just hope it isn't Shiro and Matt."

Turns out Keith was right. It is Roger and Sonya. They are trapped in a fenced parking lot of a small building with about twenty walkers flooding through the gate and blocking their only exit. 

"Shit," Lance utters as he exits the car, "I'll lead them the other way, you get those two out."

There wasn't any time for Keith to object because Lance is yelling at the walkers just a second later. Most of them turn around and start following Lance. Those that stayed behind Keith took on with his knife, quickly opening a path for Sonya and Roger to get out.

All three of them rush into the car. Now all they have to do is get Lance and get the hell out of there.

_But where is Lance?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a love-hate relationship with cliffhangers


	7. stigma - part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is me reserving myself VIP tickets in hell

The sky is getting darker. Not only because the night almost fell; dark clouds are covering the sky in the north. They are fast approaching.

Keith's driving through the city. His eyes are frantically roaming the streets in search for Lance. He's nowhere to be found. 

He left Sonya and Roger a few blocks away from their car. They'd be okay.

Keith hears Shiro's concerned voice from the walkie-talkie from the backseat; he's forgotten about it completely. "Keith? Come on, answer me. Matt and I have met up with Sonya and Roger. Did you find Lance?"

He reaches for the walkie-talkie. "I can't find him, Shiro," his voice doesn't sound as his own. He feels panic rising in him.

"Where are you? We'll come help."

He's about to look for a street sign or something significant to describe the area when he catches a glimpse of brown hair in a small dead end street between two buildings. "I've found him."

Keith parks the car and gets out of it as fast as humanly possible.

**˙   °   ˙**

Lance was running.

He didn't want to waste any of his bullets on the walkers following him. He could outrun them anyway. 

What he didn't count on is another group of walkers down the road. He quickly looked around. He can't get trapped. It would mean he's done for.

He bent down, running in an almost crouching position down the pavement, using the cars parked by it as a sort of disguise. He goes around the corner. Looking around, he searched for things to throw in the other direction to lead the walkers as further away from him as possible. He found a few empty cans and a few bricks that have fallen off the wall of an old building he was hiding behind. He threw them as hard as he could down the road he was previously on.

They took the bait and followed the noise.

The wind got louder and stronger. Lance could see how it started rising dust and dead leaves on the main road. He wasn't spared of the cold either, even with two buildings sheltering him from the wind.

There's a thunderstorm approaching.

Then, he heard a car approaching. It was Keith.

˙   °   ˙

Lance sees Keith get out of the car. There's a grin on his face. He hears him yell his name.

What he didn't hear was  _him_.

He watches the grin fade from Keith's face. Different emotions taking place. Lance can't quite tell which ones replace them.

He settles on rage.

Then his body focuses on something different.

The sharp pain of a blunt force ripping the flesh of his trapezoid muscle on the back of his right shoulder.

Time stops. But everything happens so quick.

Keith is yelling something. Lance doesn't understand anything. He hears all noises around him as if he's underwater. He stumbles a couple of steps forwards.

Keith's knife flies through the air. Lance hears a thud.

Keith reaches Lance and catches him in his arms before the latter falls to the ground. 


	8. leave out all the rest

_No, no, no, no no no..._

If only Keith arrived quicker. None of this would've happened.

He was so happy when he finally found Lance. He thought he might've lost him forever and here he is. In his arms. With a walker's bite behind his right shoulder.

He's here but Keith's lost him.

Keith grinned when he saw him. Then he noticed the walker emerging from behind the dumpster, digging its disgusting teeth into Lance's skin.

 Keith was furious. He wanted to tear that walker up piece by piece. He saw Lance stumble a few steps towards him as if he's about to fall. Keith threw his knife, hitting the walker between the eyes. He fell to the ground.

Keith catches Lance in his arms, not allowing him to fall. Over Lance's shoulder, he sees the walker, one of his arms still twitching, Lance's blood around his mouth.

The warm feeling of Lance's blood spilling over Keith's arm brings him back to reality.

"Lance?" His voice is wobbly. He clears his throat. "Lance, can you walk?"

He mumbles something but Keith doesn't understand. He wishes he didn't ask him to repeat himself.

"You should've left without me."

"You're talking nonsense. Let's go."

Keith gathers him in his arms and carries him to the car. He helps Lance get into the passenger seat, then goes to look for the first aid kit in the trunk. He quickly comes back with it. 

He puts a gauze on the bit- the  _wound_.

It's gonna be fine. Lance is gonna be fine. He keeps himself together by lying. He doesn't acknowledge the tears constantly falling from his eyes, staining his cheeks. 

He tapes the edges of the gauze using adhesive tape. "Keep pressure on it to stop the bleeding."

The shaky fingers of Lance's left hand reach the gauze. He lets out a pained sigh, almost sounding like a whine. Keith puts his hand over Lance's. 

Lance looks up at him, his pupils dilatated in fear. His whole body is shivering. "What are we going to do now?" He asks in a small voice.

Dark clouds are completely covering the sky. The sound of thunder is getting louder.

"We're gonna find shelter from the storm," Keith removes his hand and closes the car door. The first raindrops hit the windshield of the car as he turns the car on and starts driving. He took the walkie talkie and asked Shiro to meet up. They settled on going back to the place from where they split up for the first time when they arrived. 

"Why didn't you tell Shiro what happened?" Lance asks. He finally managed to calm down a little. Keith doesn't reply.  "We have to tell them, Keith."

"They'll kill you on the spot. Not Shiro, but I'm sure Mike or Sonya wouldn't pass up on that opportunity. You remember what happened to that girl that came to our camp months ago. Sonya shot her as soon as she saw she was bitten. No questions were asked." 

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm gonna die anyway," something breaks in Keith when he hears Lance say that. Keith is struggling to breathe past the lump in his throat. Lance mumbles a small 'sorry' when he sees how this all is affecting Keith.

The rain starts falling in a sudden heavy downpour.

"No,  _I'm_ sorry. I should've been there. If only I got to you faster I-"

Lance interrupts him. " I was never your responsibility. You have a bad habit of blaming yourself for everything."

 "I  _kno_ w that. But being by your side isn't something I have to do... It's something I want to do. Think about it. Nothing was holding me back from leaving and going on my own way this whole time. But I stayed. I got so attached to you over such a short time. A year and a half ago I didn't even know you and now I can't imagine my life without you. I don't even  _wanna_  do that."

Lance is left speechless after Keith's outburst of emotions.  The rain calmed down. All that remained from the downpour is a slight drizzle. Shiro and the others come into view. Mike and Sara are nowhere to be seen.

"What took you so long?" Matt asks them. Keith can tell he's worried.

Keith opens his mouth to reply but Lance beats him to it. "I was bit."

Matt's jaw drops and his eyes widen. "You're... what?" His eyes are flickering between Lance and Keith as if frantically searching for more answers. 

Lance turns around to show them the bite, unsticking a corner of the gauze. 

Matt gasps. Shiro is frozen in place. Sonya doesn't anything but Roger does. "Okay, who's gonna do it?" He asks taking out his gun from the holster.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Keith yells. He stands in front of Lance, blocking Roger's opportunity to aim.

"Something you should've done back there," Roger says in a stern voice. He keeps the gun at his side though. Keith charges at the speed of light and punches Roger in the jaw, sending him stumbling backward.

"Everyone, calm down! Roger, put that gun away," Shiro speaks. "Alright, we'll stay here to gather the supplies. We can't afford to go back and forth. Keith, Lance, take the car and go back to the camp."


	9. wildest dreams

The car ride back is mostly spent in silence. Keith has so many things to say, so many thoughts he wants to put out there and tell Lance. But sentences refuse to form and no words come out of his mouth.

Lance is staring ahead. He recognizes this part of the forest; they're getting close to the camp. "I don't wanna go back right now."

Keith slows the car down. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Let's just... I don't know. Do something else?" 

Keith stays quiet. Lance takes it as a sign to continue. "Can we just pretend everything's alright for tonight? Do something fun for the last time together?"

Keith stops the car by the road and turns the engine off. "What did you have in mind?"

"I still haven't been to that lake Hunk told me about when he first came here. Do you know how to get there?"

"Yeah, I was there with Shiro a few times. Come on," Keith exits the car and Lance follows. They walk for about ten minutes.

Lance groans. "How much further is it?"

"Just about 40 meters ahead, then left through the forest until we reach the lake."

"Race you there," Lance says before running off, not even letting Keith the chance to respond but he accepts the challenge. Lance almost misses the small forest path Keith was talking about. Keith takes the lead because of his inobservance.

"Wait, Keith, help me up," Lance whisper-yells.

Keith stops running and turns around. Lance is on the floor. Keith grins. "How did you manage to fall?"

"Stop making fun of me and help me up. I think I twisted something."

Keith walks to him and offers him a hand but suddenly Lance is up and sprinting past him. Lance is the first one to get to the lake.

"I win."

"You cheated."

"All is fair in love and war," he shrugs then looks around. He regrets not coming here sooner. The lake is beautiful. Moonlight is lighting up the whole area due to the full moon being out tonight but still, he can only imagine how nice it must be in the sunlight.

He walks down to the lake and crouches next to it, dipping his hand into the water. Then he stands up and starts taking his clothes off.

"What are you doing?" Keith questions.

"What does it look like? I'm going for a swim."

"In the middle of the night?"

"I don't think I'll have an another chance at it." 

Keith shuts up.

Lance only leaves his boxers on and goes into the water. "Are you coming or not?"

"No Lance, I... I can't swim."

"Come on, it doesn't matter. You don't have to go far, just come with me," Lance is giving him the puppy eyes. Keith sighs before taking his shirt and pants off.  

The water is cold and Keith wants to back out at first. But then he sees Lance waiting for him, looking at him over his shoulder.

"Come on," Lance splashes him with water.

Keith flinches from the cold. "Oh, it's on," Keith charges and tackles Lance into the water. They both come up gasping for air a few seconds later. They're both laughing.

Then their laughter dies down. Their bodies are close to each other. Keith looks beautiful under the moonlight. Lance thought he would never have the courage to tell him that but then he feels the slight sting in his right shoulder.

"You're so beautiful," Lance lifts his hands to cup Keith's face. His skin feels hot; he's blushing. The fact makes Lance smile. He wraps his arms around Keith's neck, bringing them even closer.

"What are you doing?" Keith asks in a husky voice. Lance feels his hands rest on his hips, not pushing him away, just holding him in place.

"Enjoying my last day on earth," his lips brush Keith's as he speaks. He leans back in the slightest, giving Keith a chance to back out if he wants to.

But Keith doesn't back out.

He leans in and kisses him.

The water is freezing cold. They're both shivering but it's the best kiss Lance has ever had. Just because it's with Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight here right now. That means it's the 28th and Lance's birthday so happy birthday to the most beautiful boy in the universe ^3^


	10. simple and sweet

They both agreed that the water is way too cold so they got out of the lake, waited until they were dry and put their clothes back on.

They're sitting next to each other on the bank of the lake. Lance's head is resting on Keith's shoulder. They're watching the stars. Keith has one arm around Lance's waist. 

Both of them flinch at the sound of rustling leaves. "We should go," Keith whispers and gets up on his feet. He helps Lance up. At the sound of growling, they start rushing through the forest back to the camp. They don't stop running until they reach their RV. Lance locks the door behind them.

"Keith?" Lance calls out in the dark.

"Hm?"

He makes out the faint shape of Keith's body in the dark. Slowly, he approaches him and wraps his arms around Keith's waist, pressing their hips together.

Lance lowers his head and kisses the juncture of Keith's neck, lightly sucking his soft skin. Keith barely suppresses the sounds coming from the back of his throat. 

The sound of his name reaches Lance's ears. It sounds breathy and desperate. He didn't know Keith could sound like that; even less that he could be the reason for it.

Keith lifts his hands to roam up over Lance's chest until they gently push Lance away. Then he moves his hands further up, over Lance's neck to cup his face. He leans in to capture Lance's lips in a fast and passionate kiss. 

One of his hands slips up into Lance's hair. His fingers gently tug at the roots of his hair above the nape of his neck. Lance moans into the kiss.

Their warm mouths move against each other. Lance lets his tongue slip past his lips to lick Keith's lips who responds by parting them and letting their tongues touch between kisses.

The mouths move sloppily against each other while they stumble towards the bed, not breaking the kiss even for a second.

Keith feels the edge of the bed touch the back of his knees. He breaks the kiss while he quickly sits on the bed and moves to lay on it. Lance joins him a split second later, hovering over him and reattaching their lips.

Keith takes control of the situation by pushing Lance on his back and straddling his hips. He kisses him again. He sucks on Lance's lower lip then takes it between his teeth and gently tugs on it before letting go and movings down to kiss his jawline and settles on the sensitive skin of Lance's neck. He first places a few soft kisses then sucks on the soft skin. He pulls back with the sound of a soft smack. He takes his shirt off and helps Lance take his off too. 

Lance has never felt like this before. His heart is beating so fast he almost feels like its vibrating rather than beating. He gives into Keith's kisses and gentle touches. No one before could ever have this huge effect on Lance. For a second his mind wanders to his previous lovers. No other girl or boy compares to Keith.  _Nothing_ could ever compare to Keith.

Keith blocks out all worries out of his own mind. Lance helps him do that. He just lets himself feel this night.

Lance is like the ocean, and Keith is drowning in him; he doesn't even think about coming up for air.


	11. radio silence

Keith can't sleep.

He turns his body on his side. Lance is sleeping on his back, but his face is facing Keith. He lets his fingers play with the hair framing Lance's face. He caresses Lance's cheek with his thumb, then his fingers proceed to ghost down Lance's face, along with his jawline and neck.

He pulls his hand back and tucks it under his head.

Keith is going to miss him.

 _So_ _much_ _._

It's a weird feeling. Knowing that someone's life is on a countdown. It's even worse for Keith knowing that it's _Lance's_ life.

Keith lays on his back. His gaze wanders to the side. A couple of tears escape his eyes when he closes them. His chest hurts.

A sigh escapes his lips and he opens his eyes again. He looks around the RV. Everything reminds him of Lance. It doesn't even have to do anything with him. After being by his side all the time for over a year, his mind can't help but constantly remind him of random memories.

Lance. The same Lance he met over a year ago. The guy that kept getting on his nerves, using every situation to prove that he's better than Keith.

Lance that stayed by his side when they got separated from the previous group in an attack. They both thought they lost everything that night. But they had each other and grew closer in those difficult times.

The same Lance he's been sleeping next to for the last nine months.

The Lance who he kissed back at the lake and here, in the RV. 

The same Lance he's fallen in love with over the time.

His breaths turn into quiet sobs. He raises his hand and covers his mouth to keep quiet and not wake Lance up.

"I never took you for someone that cries after sex."

Keith freezes.

Lance calls his name. His voice is heavy with sleep. Keith quickly wipes his tears with the back of his hand and clears his throat. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only like a minute," Keith hears shuffling. "Are you okay?" Keith can hear the obvious concern in Lance's voice.

Keith hums a broken 'mhm' before squeezing his eyes shut. He seriously needs to stop crying but can't will himself to do it.

"Hey, c'mere," Lance wraps his arms around Keith's shaking form and pulls him close. "Keith, please don't cry, I can't bear to see you like this. I'm... I'm not worth your tears."

Lance's voice sounds small and broken like he's in pain. Keith sniffles a few times, then decides to speak up, not sure if his voice will cooperate with him. "But you are."

Keith takes a few deep breaths before continuing. "If only I was faster. If I didn't waste time. I could've saved you."

"Stop with the _if'_ s and what _could've_ happened, Keith. It is what it is and it's _not_ your fault. Who _knows_ , maybe even if you got there earlier it would've still ended up like this."

Keith swallows past the lump in his throat. "... I'll miss you," he confesses, his voice small.

Lance pulls him closer. "You'll be okay."

They're both quiet for a few minutes. The quiet presence of each other being enough at the moment.

" 'm so tired," Lance mumbles in Keith's hair.

"I know. It's okay."

"You think it's 'cause of the bite?"

"Could be. But then again we've had a long day."

"... I'm scared to fall asleep because I might not be myself when I wake up. I don't think it's safe for you to stay here."

Keith pulls away so he can look at Lance's face. "Hey, no matter what, I'm staying with you. Understand? I'm _not_ leaving you.'

"What if I turn during the night? You wouldn't be able-"

"Lance, that's _enoug_ h. I'm staying."

Lance smiles at him. He's back; this is the strong willed Keith he knows and loves. "Your stubbornness is gonna get you killed someday."

"I learned from the best," Keith chuckles.

Lance scoffs but there is a smile on his face. "Out of all of my _outstanding_ traits, you pick up one of the worst."

" _Outstandin_ g? Like what?"

"Like my amazing hairstyle for starters. You could do better than that mullet of yours."

"Can you not? You're _always_ making fun of my hair."

"Well, of course. You can pull off a _mullet._ Who does that? I mean I have a great face and all, but do you think I could do the same? I don't think so."

"Wait, so you... like it?"

"I mean when you put it that way..." Lance trails off.

"Is there another way to put it?"

"Zip it... mullet."

Keith laughs.

* * *

  
Keith doesn't remember falling asleep but he is hyper-aware of his surroundings when he wakes up.

He doesn't dare to open his eyes. The body next to him stirs. It's gonna happen any moment now. He's going to hear heavy breathing and growling. He's going to get devoured.

But, he stays still. He's not planning to move. He never intended leaving Lance in the first place, so he stays still with his eyes still closed.

Instead of being violently eaten alive, gentle fingers brush his hair back and even more gentle lips place a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Oh, thank God," he mutters. 

Lance chuckles. "What?"

"I thought..." Keith sighs in relief and that's enough for Lance to understand. Keith presses his face closer to Lance's neck and plants a soft kiss there.

"I'm still me," Lance whispers.

Keith finally dares to open his eyes.

Still the beautiful olive skin, still the gentle blue eyes full of life, still that beautiful smile.

Still Lance.

"You know... they think we're away with Shiro. We could stay inside the whole day."

 _Definitely_ still Lance.

"Lance... I'm pretty sure they heard us last night," Keith chuckles.

"So what? That could've been anyone."

Keith smirks. "I'm _pretty_ sure they'll know because I'm the only Keith in the camp."

"Shut up," Lance's voice cracks. He's blushing furiously and hides his face in Keith's hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 97% of Keith's smiles in season 3 were caused by Lance i'M LIVING


	12. 2u

Keith left the bed after a few minutes to get a shower. Lance is sitting on the edge of the bed. He put on his boxers and pants but can't find his shirt.

He hears the water running in the bathroom. Then his eyes take notice of his shirt, crumpled and thrown all the way across the floor, under the table. The sight of it reminds him of how it got there. How Keith helped him take the shirt off, balled it up and threw it away on the floor before reattaching their lips. How good Keith's skin felt against his own.

How  _right_ it all was.

Still, he feels his face growing hotter by the second, a sheepish grin appearing on his lips.

He should probably get an another shirt; he shifts his gaze to the closet on his left.

Standing up too fast has always been a bad habit for Lance. His vision would go dark in spots and he'd feel dizzy. But this isn't like that. This is  _so_ much worse.

His vision goes completely dark.

* * *

 The first thing Lance notices when he wakes up is that he's cold.  _So_ cold.

He hears voices somewhere near him. They sound muffled. Some of them loud and angry, others quiet. Not calm, but quiet. Although he senses them near, it feels as if they're miles away from him. He's battling his own consciences to stay awake.

It's a tough battle to win.

His awake-ness slips away from him like sand through his fingers.

* * *

He's still cold when he wakes up again. Finally, he opens his eyes. It takes a few moments for sleep to leave his eyes and for them to adjust to the dimly lit room. 

He's in the infirmary.

A groan escapes his lips when he tries to sit up on the bed. A weight lifts from his right arm. He turns his head to the right. When he does, he decides this is the worse states he's ever seen Keith in.

Bags under his eyes, hair sticking in every direction, a little paler than usual. But even like this, he takes Lance's breath away.

Keith's sitting on a chair next to the bed. He rests his elbows on the bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Keith's voice is quiet and husky. There's a barely visible smile on his lips.

Lance coughs a few times to clear his throat. "Been better."

He lifts his hand and brushes his fingers through Keith's hair, then tucks a strand behind his ear. 

Keith raises his hand and holds Lance's. He kisses the back of his hand. It makes Lance smile.

"You have a fever."

Lance's smile falls. "Keith... we both know this isn't a regular fever. How long are you going to deny the fact that I'm turning?"

Keith keeps his stance, his voice hushed. "It was your idea to pretend everything was alright yesterday."

"Yeah, That was yesterday," he sighs. "It's time to face it-"

Keith tightens his hold on Lance's hand. "Coran said it's  _just_  a fever."

Lance scoffs a humorless laugh. "Does he know about the bite?"

"Yes. He changed your bandages."

Another humorless laugh from Lance. Keith lets go of his hand and stands up. "I better get Coran. He said to call him when you wake up. There's... something he must talk to you about."


	13. i wouldn't mind

Lance feels so small in the silence that falls over the room when Keith leaves to get Coran. In reality, it wasn't that different when Keith was there but just his presence was enough.

Now Lance is alone and for the first time, he feels the weight of the situation on his chest.

He's dying.

Death has always been such an eerie concept to him. Now you're here and the next moment you're gone. Then what? 

Does darkness just envelop you and then it's over?

What after that? Who lives? Who dies? Who tells your story?

His breath hitches when Coran opens the door. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle ya", he apologizes, closing the door behind him.

He walks over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better. Thanks, Coran. For everything. You didn't have to do it. But uh, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Ah, yes, that. Let me check a few things first," Coran takes a small flashlight out of his pocket and shines a beam of light in Lance's eyes, one at a time. "Alright, your pupils are responsive," he mumbles.

Coran also checks his body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, etc.

"Are we done yet?" Lance asks, confused as to why was this even needed.

Coran sighs putting his hand on his hip and uses the other to stroke his mustache. "Lance, my boy, have you ever seen anyone turn? Ever witnessed it?"

He takes a moment to think about it. He's had people come and go since this all started but- "I've never been there 'till the end."

Coran humms. "It's not a pretty sight," his voice is quiet and his eyes look distant. "In most cases I've seen, the first symptoms appear roughly eight hours after the bite. Judging by what Keith told me, you've been bit about twenty hours ago. You should've been long gone by now," he whispers the last sentence.

Lance's mind is blank. No words come out.

"All of your vitals look fine."

"Does... does that mean I'll live? Does Keith know?"

"He doesn't. I didn't want to get his hopes up if I'm wrong about this. I'm going to need a few samples of your blood. There are a few tests I could run. It might help figure this out."

* * *

Coran told him that the tests are gonna take some time to finish.

Lance left the infirmary at dusk. He felt fine. He was attacked by Hunk's and Pidge's hugs right after stepping foot outside the infirmary.

Everything that happened in the last two days felt surreal.

He finds Keith sitting with Shiro on the log outside their camper.  _When did Shiro return?_

Shiro's eyes comically widen when he notices Lance approaching them.

A single word leaves his mouth. " _How_?"

Lance shrugs, a sheepish grin on his face.

Keith smiles at him. "He didn't believe me when I told him."

* * *

When Lance enters the camper he hears a trail of words that he could live without hearing. Shiro warns Keith to keep an eye on Lance.

There's nothing wrong with the phrase. It's the tone of Shiro's voice that gets him. Sharp and guarded. The kind of tone he would use on a battlefield.

He doesn't hear Keith respond. He sits at the table and rests his face in his hand.

Keith joins him in the camper a few minutes later and sits across him.

They sit in silence for a few moments. Lance is the first to speak up.

"He's treating me like a rabid animal."

Keith sighs. "I mean you can't blame him for being worried."

"I know, but I... I  _don't_  know. I was talking to Coran and... okay, he warned me that this could be very self-indulgent because it never happened before, at least there's not a case that we know of. I mean even if there was, how could we know, there's no internet or media to tell us-"

"Lance, get to the point. You're rambling."

"Okay, sorry. He thinks that... there might be a chance that I'm immune."

Keith  _tries_ to stay calm because Lance told him that it's not for sure but  _shit,_ he couldn't keep the smile forming on his lips or keep the sound of relief in his voice. "Really? You think there could be such a thing when it comes to this?" He moves his hand across the table to hold Lance's.

"I sure hope so," Lance whispers. A shy smile appears on his face when he sees Keith beaming at him. "If it didn't hurt when I move my arm, I wouldn't even know the bite is there. It has been a while since I got bit and I feel  _fin_ e. It not like I got an aggressive need for human flesh," he smirks, "unless it's  _you_  we're talking about."

Keith rolls his eyes. "This is serious, Lance."

"I  _am_  being serious."


	14. 14. woke the f*ck up

Days pass. Coran is still running tests. Lance remains alive and well.

I mean as well as he can be with Keith constantly being absent.

Lance just doesn't  _get_ him. He feels as if Keith is pulling away from him. He leaves before Lance wakes up, he's not seen in the camp during the day and Lance gave up waiting up for him at night due to his tiredness in the morning. Even when he managed to stay awake he didn't say anything. Didn't know  _what_ to say.

Things are... weird ever since  _that_  night.

It's fine during the day, but in the silence of the night, when they lay beside each other in the same bed, the tension could be cut with a knife.

It's awkward now.

And it hurts. He needs him. Doesn't Keith get that? He's been telling Lance how much he'd miss him when he's gone. Lance is right here but where is  _Keith_ now?

Probably hanging out with Allura. Lance can't exactly pinpoint when Keith and Allura started being all buddy-buddy but it's driving him nuts. It's like she's replaced Lance and Lance didn't even get a chance to complain.

He starts seeing Keith even less when the group starts building a fence around the forest. It was a needed action due to the higher walker activity. This way they could keep them out and sleep better at night knowing that they don't have to fear for their lives in the morning because the camp could be swarming with walkers. 

They got all the materials from the nearby town. That's one perk of the apocalypse; everything is free. If you can get it, of course.

The camp is pretty much empty these days because everyone is away working on the fence. Shiro insists that Lance stays though. He's being extra careful around Lance as if he's going to turn any second.

Lance deals with it without complaining. He spends most of the time with Hunk, helping him cook for the group and just hanging out like old times. Pidge often joins in their conversations with a smart remark; just like old times.

Even with Hunk and Pidge constantly by his side, Lance can't help but feel like he's missing a limb. If only he knew what's wrong; he'd try to fix it. 

* * *

Keith doesn't blame Lance. He thought he was going to die and Keith just happened to be there. It didn't  _mean_ anything.

Keith should've known better and not have let his feelings intervene. He can't even look at Lance without wanting to be near him, hold him close, kiss him.

He tells himself everything's going to be fine. He'll avoid Lance for a while then little by little start talking to him again after the initial awkwardness passed. Baby steps.

It's not like Lance  _said_ anything after...  _well_.

He occasionally flirted with Keith but he does that all the time with  _everybody_.

Keith's heart decided that he can't handle that. So... here he is. On his eight and final day of digging holes for the fence. His shoulders are  _killing_ him but physical pain is better than dealing with his emotions right now.

He finds some comfort in Allura. They started talking once during breakfast and their friendship just grew from there.

* * *

 It's still dark outside. Lance got awaken to the sound of Keith shuffling through the trailer. 

"Hey, Keith, can we talk?" Lance's voice is still heavy with sleep but this is probably the only chance he'll get to talk to Keith today.

Keith freezes as if he just got caught red-handed. "Uh, we'll talk later."

"It's important."

"We are finishing the fence today. Whatever it is, it can wait 'till tonight."

Lance hesitates for a moment. "Okay." He turns his body to face toward the wall, away from Keith.


	15. 15. hold me tight or don't

The six feet tall wall around the forest is finished. There are two gates, both of them with a lock whose key is in Shiro's possession. 

They have a little party as a 'job well done' celebration in the evening. Finally, the bonfire in the middle of the camp can be lit at night without all of them being on the edge of their toes in fear of it attracting stray walkers. They put logs around the fire and now, Lance is sitting between Hunk and Matt, Pidge on their right side and Keith and Allura on their left. All of them are drinking except for Pidge.

As much as Pidge yells at most of them to be quiet while they're working on something, Pidge can't stand total silence. They need a background noise. It can be just a small sound to confirm that someone is  _there._ They're sitting cross-legged on the ground, all kinds of 'techy stuff', as Lance would put it, scattered on the ground around them. 

Lance doesn't know how he's gotten to this point but the drink in his hand doesn't burn anymore as it goes down his throat. He's not sure if he can stand up. Matt says something and everyone laughs, including Lance who has  _no_ idea what Matt just said. But that fact doesn't bother him. He's alive with the people he loves surrounding him and  _nothing_ is going to ruin this night.

Actually, scratch that.

Allura asking Keith to help her get more drinks isn't  _nothing._ Her taking his wrist and leading him towards the little hut that is the kitchen  _isn't nothing._

Then he hears Matt's voice in his ear. "Alright, spill."

"Spill what?"

Matt looks him dead in the eyes. "The beans, Lance. Ya can't fool me. I can't believe you didn't tell me about Keith."

Lance sighs. In this moment he feels almost sober.  _Almost._ "There's nothing to say. We're just friends."

Matt laughs. "Yeah,  _right_. I had those", he makes air quotations with his hands, "' _friends_ ' in college as well. I mean we just used to have-"

Pidge decides to cut him off. "Matt! Gross! I don't wanna hear about your sex life."

Then Matt decided to sing Can You Feel The Love Tonight very badly and  _very_ loud. He gets up and giggles at himself when he stumbles for a few moments before he finds his balance. He raises his glass in Lance's direction, almost spilling its contents. "Don't worry Lancey, Imma go find your boyfriend."

With that said he downs his drink and drops his cup on the ground as if it's a microphone. He staggers towards the kitchen.

Lance leans his head on Hunk's shoulder. Hunk jolts out of his half-asleep state. Alcohol doesn't have a good effect on him. It doesn't make him sick, just so, so tired.

Just when he was starting to go back into his snoozing-while-sitting-down(-somehow) state he is once again forced awake, this time by Matt's very loud 'what the fuck?!'

It was loud enough to wake Shiro up. He slowly opened the door of his house, yawning in the process. He walks up to Matt. Matt breaks into a smile when he sees him. He calls his name in a sing-song manner and hugs him. 

"C'mon Matt, let's go to bed. You're drunk."

"And you're sexy."

* * *

Allura lets go of Keith's wrist when they can no longer be seen by the others. The darkness of the hut envelops them, only the soft glow light from the bonfire lighting up their surroundings through a small window.

Allura's soft voice reaches his ears. "You haven't said a word the whole night Keith. What's wrong?"

He shrugs.

"Did you talk to him yet?"

He bites his lip and tears his eyes away from her gaze. He feels ashamed of his answer. "No. He wanted to talk. I told him we'll talk tonight."

Allura sighs. He feels like he's being judged. "What are you doing, Keith?" She whispers and he breaks.

"I don't know. I-I don't know, Allura. I can't stop thinking about him but... I'll hurt him, I already did. He almost died several times because of  _me._ I  _can't_ let myself love him. I  _ruined_ everything I've ever had in life. I couldn't  _live_ with myself if I knew that something happened to him because of  _me..._ I can't take that risk."

He stops talking for a moment to wipe the tears from his face. "Everyone I've ever loved left me."

Allura's eyes turn glossy as he speaks. "Oh, Keith," she pulls him into a hug and runs her hand through his hair as he silently sobs into her shoulder.

"I get where you're coming from but I don't think you're right. You're trying to protect yourself from heartbreak but how many hearts get broken in the process?"

Keith's crying comes to a stop as she continues to speak. "Yes, you'll miss the bad things but if you never let yourself love and be loved, you'll also miss the good things; the happy memories you'll make. Are you willing to give them up for the sake of not being hurt?"


	16. blue

Lance could only imagine what was the reason for Matt's reaction. The most believable scene his brain could come up with is Keith and Allura having a moment. Together. Alone...

Okay, he _assumed_ they were making out. Why else would they leave the group to be alone?

His thoughts killed his mood and the night quickly lost its charm. With the excuse of being tired, he bid goodnight to Pidge and Hunk.

He didn't have much trouble standing up. He still feels a bit tipsy, but most of the alcohol that he drank wore off. Now all he's left is his overwhelming thoughts and a heart that feels too big for his chest.

After getting into the RV, he closes the door and leans his forehead against it. A sigh escaped his lips. For a second he considers locking the doors. He decides against it because Keith still owes him a conversation.

When Coran gave him hope that he might live, Lance thought that his relationship with Keith was going to improve. But somehow, just the opposite of that happened. He tried to understand Keith's point of view, but he's always been such a mystery to Lance. He could never decipher what was going on in Keith's mind. That might be one of the things that pulled Lance toward him.

Keith is impulsive, hot-headed and sometimes could come off as really mean and cold. But there's more to him. He has a kind heart, he's smart and quick-witted and no amount of denial could mask the fact that he's soft on the inside.

During the time he's known him, Lance also noticed that Keith is really bad with words. Like, really bad. He's also-

Lance smiles bitterly at himself.

_Look at me. Thinking about him like some love-sick idiot. Again._

Annoyed with himself, he angrily rubs his face with his palm as if he could stop his thoughts that way. He walks into the bathroom, deciding that he could use a shower to clear his mind.

He's partially right. The warm water acts soothingly on his skin. He closes his eyes and stands there for a few minutes just letting the water run down his body. But there is only so much water that fits inside the water heater and he shouldn't use all of it. He rinses the shampoo out of his hair, quietly cursing when it gets into his eyes. After turning the water off he sighs again, this time feeling a lot more refreshed.

He dries himself off with a fluffy towel and put on a clean pair of boxers and an oversized gray sweater.

Sparing himself one last look in the mirror, Lance exists the bathroom. He looks around the RV. It's quiet. Far too quiet and he doesn't like it. It's lonely...

Lance sits on the bed for a minute then moves to lay on his side of the bed, closer to the wall. He doesn't even bother to cover himself with the blanket. He closes his eyes and waits for sleep to come to him.

But it's not sleep that comes. After a short while, Lance hears footsteps approaching in front of the door. He doesn't open his eyes. The doors open and close. He can tell it's Keith by his footsteps. Keith shuffles through the darkness. There's the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing.

Lance hears water running. Now what? Does he wait? His eyes fall closed. 

It doesn't matter, he decides.

*  *  *

  
Lance is positive that he managed to fall asleep before Keith exited the bathroom but after hearing the doors open again he's wide awake. He keeps his eyes closed in an attempt to feign sleep. Even in this darkness he feels so exposed in this state as if Keith can tell that he's awake and is going to call him out on it. He struggles to keep his eyes closed.

He feels the mattress dip under Keith's weight. A moment later he finds himself under a blanket, completely covered from head to toe. Keith mutters a curse as he gently pulls the blanket down to Lance's shoulder. He gingerly moves Lance's hair that he managed to mess up out of his face.

Lance takes this as an opportunity to "wake up". He moves around a bit as if he's trying to get more comfortable then stretches and groans sleepily.

"Hey," Lance mutters after slowly opening his eyes. He can barely make out any of Keith's features in the dark but he can tell that his eyes are closed.

No reply.

"I know you're awake, Keith."

"Sorry."

Lance waits a few moments, expecting Keith to continue... he doesn't.

"That's _it_? After avoiding me like the plague for a week I get a 'sorry'?"

Keith sighs. "What do you _want_ me to say?" He says with a hint if annoyance in his voice.

"Well, it would't hurt if you were a bit more _sincere_ or I don't know-"

"I _am_ being sincere."

"Sure doesn't sound like it," Lance trails off.

Keith sighs in defeat. "Look, I don't know how to... word a perfect, heartfelt apology, so can you just accept _this_? I'm really sorry for not talking to you. Last week and the week before was... a little bit too much for me."

"Jesus Christ," he pinches the bridge of his nose. "You're lucky I don't hold grudges."

"Uhh, yeah you do. Did you forget that time I ate the last chocolate muffin that Hunk made? You ignored me for a whole week."

"Touché."

"Are we good now?"

A lazy smile forms on Lance's lips. "Yeah."

There was still something that bothered Lance. He could have the most heartwarming conversation with Keith but there's still something that can't let his mind rest.

"So... you and Allura?"

"Lance-"

"No, no, no, it's good that you're getting along. I get it."

"It ends there. We are _just_ friends."

"I believe you."

Keith sees right through him. "...No, you don't."

"No, I don't", he's quiet for a moment thinking if he should just shut up now and stop making things more awkward. Ah, he already fucked it all up, might as well go out with a bang. "Matt saw you two."

"I didn't know there was something to be seen."

Lance ponders for a second, then speaks up all strain voiced and fake smiled. "You know what? You're right. It's not my place to say anything."

Keith's whispers are so quiet and his voice so soft that Lance isn't sure if he even heard him right. "It _should_ be your place. I want it to be."


	17. talk me down

"What are you talking about?" Lance whispers and turns to his side propping his body with his elbow.

Even in the dark with only the smallest amount of moonlight revealing only the outline of Keith's body, he seems to shift under Lance's gaze. After taking a deep breath, Keith speaks up. "The last relationship I was in ended horribly. I don't want to end up hurt again but I also don't want to end up hurting you. After I talked about this with Allura-"

Lance's surprised voice interrupts him. "You were talking to her about _us_?"

"Can you let me finish?" Keith scoffs. "I'm done running. Even if it falls apart, I want to stand by your side. If... if you'll stand by mine."

"You keep saying you're bad at words and then you spill this poetic shit," Lance chuckles.

"This is so embarrassing," Keith whines and covers his face with his hands.

"Aw, come on," Lance grins and reaches for Keith's wrist. He places his hand on his wrist and rubs gentle circles with his thumb on Keith's skin. He waits until Keith's removes his hands from his face, then lets go of his wrist.

His grin falls and he gets serious. "What exactly do you mean by," he makes air quotations with his hand, "standing by your side?"

Keith looks at him with his big doe eyes. "What do you think?"

Lance avoids directly answering him. "After that night at the lake and... Y'know, I expected things to change between us. But instead, you started pretending that I don't exist. Did you..." he takes a deep breath to steady his voice before continuing. "Did you spend the night with me just because you thought I was gonna die?"

Keith bites his lower lip and averts his gaze from Lance's eyes. "No."

He looks at Lance again. "The only thing I wanted that night was for it to never end. But then again, I realized I was your only choice. If you could've picked better you wouldn't-" he stops himself and looks away again.

_You wouldn't pick me._

The tone of his voice breaks Lance's heart. He needs to fix this.

He gingerly caresses Keith's cheek. "You were and always will be my only choice. I don't want anyone else besides you," he whispers.

Then Lance slowly leans in and seals his promise with a kiss.

He kisses Keith gentler than ever. As if he's made of glass and one wrong move could cause him to shatter into a million of pieces.

After pulling away he places a kiss on Keith's forehead and one on his temple. The smile that forms on his lips takes Lance's breath away.

Lance lays on his back and opens his arms as a silent invitation to Keith who doesn't hesitate to cuddle up to Lance as close as possible. Lance gently wraps his hands around him.

"So are we together now? Like boyfriends?"

He hears Keith giggle right before he feels his neck being peppered with soft kisses.

"Yeah."

Satisfied and happier than he's been in a while, Lance smiles and buries his nose in Keith's hair.

After a couple of minutes, Keith's breathing becomes slower and even, signaling that he's out like a light.

Lance can't help but let the smallest 'I love you' escape his lips.


	18. serendipity

Waking up next to Keith is, Lance concludes, one of the best feelings in the world. He almost feels as if he's still asleep and having one of the best dreams he's ever had.

Lance woke up first without feeling his right arm which was a result of Keith's head being on it the entire night. He doesn't mind. For a second Keith stirs in his slumber. Still asleep, he strengthens his arms around Lance. He mumbles something incoherent into Lance's neck. Even though he didn't understand him it makes him smile nevertheless.

Lance puts one arm around him, resting his hand on his lower back. His other hand gently cards through Keith's hair.

* * *

They don't share any kisses during the day. There was sort of a silent agreement to keep their relationship on the down-low. Lance notices a change though; Keith is always near him. He stands closer to Lance, their shoulders would brush. Whenever his eyes would search for Keith through the camp, he would almost always catch those violet eyes already fixed on him followed by a blush and looking away on Keith's part.

Hunk notices it too. He has a knowing smile on his face while Lance is helping him with food preparation. "So what's been going on?"

Lance tears his gaze from where Keith and Shiro were talking and looks at Hunk like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh, what?"

Shaking his head still smiling Hunk repeats his question. "I asked what's been going on. You've been spacing out a lot lately."

Lance can't help himself but to send another quick glance Keith's way. "Things are good. Better than ever."

"I feel like there's something you're not telling me, but I won't push you. You seem happier than I've seen you in months."

"I am," he can't stop the smile on his face.

* * *

Keith loves late nights. No one really knows that they are together. At nights he can hold Lance as close as he wants. They are both aware that if they reveal their relationship it will lead to an unlimited amount of teasing from their friends. Putting themselves on the spotlight like that so early might lead to things getting awkward, so they stay away from that for a while. Just until they both get used to all the changes that being together brings.

"Hunk noticed. He said I seemed happier than I've been in a long time."

"Are you?" Keith asks carefully and Lance can't resist him when he's looking at him through his thick lashes with his beautiful dark eyes.

"Ah, you know. Just got the man of my dreams in my arms. No big deal, ya know.

"Man of your dreams, huh?" Keith raises his eyebrows with a smug smile on his lips.

"Pretty much." Lance's eyes are half lidded, a sleepy grin on his lips. The pale moonlight that is peeking through the blinds enhances the soft and affectionate expression of his face.

Keith's chest fills with a warm feeling. He's really in love with him. He takes a moment to appreciate how lucky he is to have him. To be able to hold him so close every night; the moon being the only witness to their endless kisses and small touches.

He gently caresses Lance's cheek before leaning in and kissing him softly. He drowns in the quiet, sweet sounds Lance makes.

Keith's lips suddenly came to a halt. Something's off. He slightly moves away.

"Did you hear that?" His lips brush against Lance's as he whispers.

"Hear wha-", Lance's eyes widen when he hears the rustling of the fallen leaves on the ground and then the soft sounds of footsteps from outside reach his ears.  
At first, he thinks it could just be walkers, but that's why they put up a fence. They couldn't have gone through, right? Also the steps sound far too agile and fast for them to belong to a walker.

Someone's out there.


	19. 19.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for being absent for so long; i'm an asshole. dreamworks pissed me off so i have to take it upon myself to clean up their mess by writing klance fics. season 7 was absolute bullshit, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Sniper in his hand, Lance climbs on the roof of the RV from the inside and lies down on his stomach to keep himself as hidden as possible. He scans the area through the scope of the sniper. A snap of a twig sends his attention towards the forest right by the RV. He immediately lifts his head to look in the direction of the noise. It's dark. The moonlight's providing as the only source of light, but he notices a man with long white hair. He's holding his hands up in a non-threatening gesture. Lance tightens his hold on the sniper and gets ready to shoot if the other makes a move that would put him in danger. The man looks around and slowly approaches the RV, his hands still in the air.

"You have higher priorities than me. The Dead have broken through your fence. I can help," he whispers. Lance notices a sword strapped to his hip. There's no point in eliminating him if he's not a threat and wants to help. Lance nods at him curtly and turns back to the roof opening of the RV.

He has a hard time finding Keith in the darkness of the RV, but his dark eyes shining give up his location. Lance whispers the quietest he can. "Did you hear what he said?"

"Yeah. Stay up there. I'll go check outside."

Keith quietly opens the door, knife in his right hand. Before stepping outside, he checks the left side of the RV from where he's heard the other man's voice. If he attacks Keith, he needs to be ready to strike back. He spots the man in the dark slowly approaching him.

"They broke through the fence on the north side," the man points in the direction of the entrance of the camp.

"How many did you see?"

"It's a big herd. Eighty of them, at least."

A pang of panic shakes Keith. Eighty? If all of them arrive, they'll swarm the area. Then their options would either be to risk everything, come out and fight them head on or starve in their campers and houses.

"We have to lead them away," Keith decides.

"There is no time," when the man speaks as if on a cue, Keith hears the sound of low growling and slow, clumsy footsteps.

The first thing he does is run towards Shiro's house. He tries to keep his knocking loud enough to wake Shiro up, but at the same time quiet, so he doesn't attract the Walkers to him because of the noise. When Shiro opens the door, Keith explains what is happening as fast as he can.

Shiro and Matt take it upon themselves to wake up the rest of the camp while Keith runs back to the entrance of the clearing. The white-haired man from before joins him by his side, unsheaths his sword and takes a fighting stance.

The sounds of footsteps get louder and walkers start swarming through the entrance. Keith wastes no time and launches himself into battle with the first ones that get close to him. With walkers left and right everything is happening in a blur. For a second he gets distracted by the sword-wielding man. The way he fights is quick and effective and at that moment Keith is grateful he isn't on his bad side.

He doesn't notice the walker that snuck up to his left side until Lance shoots him down. Keith gasps and throws Lance a look and a short nod in a sign of gratitude. The curt moment is interrupted by Shiro's cry when a walker bites down on the forearm of his right arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can (read as pls i beg) follow me on twitter @/angeiicbangtan if you wanna yell with me abt klance, my hero academia and bts (and sometimes the croatian national football team of 2018 bc they rock).


	20. Chapter 20

The walker falls as Lance shoots him down with his sniper.

Keith relaxes when he realizes that Shiro's right arm was the one that got bit. "Is it okay?" He asks when he gets closer to Shiro.

"Gah, I can't move my fingers," Shiro says as he struggles with his arm.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" Lance yells at them after hopping off the RV's roof and running to Keith and Shiro.

Keith is confused as to why is Lance panicking. "It's fine. It's a prosthetic."

"...Wait, what?" Lance looks closely at the arm. "How the hell didn't I notice that before?"

Shiro smiles, obviously amused. "It's not heavily damaged, probably just needs new wires. Hunk and Pidge can fix it for sure."

Keith looks around the camp. It's mostly clear of alive walkers. Well,  _alive_ is debatable when it comes to them.

"Lotor?!" Allura runs next to the towards the white-haired man and jumps into his arms.

"Wait, she knows this guy?" Lance asks no one in particular.

After Lotor puts her down they both answer at the same time.

"We're friends."

"It's complicated."

* * *

After the initial awkwardness from the conversation about the status of Allura's and Lotor's relationship, the group decided the best thing to do right now is to go back to bed. Hunk and Matt left to check on the fence and inspect the damage. They'd need to go to one of the nearest towns for materials if it would take more than they have at the camp. If not, they'll restore it before morning.

They offered Lotor a place to stay which he gladly accepted.

In the morning, during breakfast, Allura strikes up a conversation with Lotor. He talks about the organization he works for; the D. W. Laboratories. He explains that they are looking for a cure.

"Our laboratory was founded as the outbreak began and was financed by the government in hope of finding a cure before the disease spreads on too many people. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side. Soon we found ourselves behind the closed doors of the headquarters because the whole city has became corrupted by the disease," Lotor sighs exhaustedly before continuing. "All of our experiments have failed. The cause of the disease is something that we've never seen before. It shares some of its characteristics with viruses and bacteria, but it's neither of them at the same time. It's almost like something that's not even from this world."

Lance, who has been listening closely ever since he heard that they're looking for a cure, joins the conversation "Was anyone bit and ended up not turning?"

Lotor laughs, a twinge of hopelessness in the sound. "Something like that is impossible. We've run hundreds of tests with all kinds of methods and nothing has ever worked the way we wanted it."

Lance turns his upper body to the side and reaches up to pull his shirt down exposing the scar on his shoulder. Lotor is stunned. "How is that possible?"

Lance smiles. "We've all been wondering the same thing".

"I have so many questions. Is it all right if I speak with you privately about this?" Lotor asks.

"Sure," Lance gets up to follow Lotor, but a hand on his wrist stops him in his tracks. He turns around to see Keith with a skeptical look on his face.

"What is it?" Lance inquires.

Keith looks down frowning slightly, as if he's looking for answers on the ground, then looks back up. "Be careful. There's something about that guy that rubs me in the wrong way."

Lance smiles and takes Keith's hand that was holding his wrist. He gently kisses the back of his hand resulting in Keith's wide eyes and a warm blush spreading on his cheeks. "Don't worry."

Keith returns the smile, even though Lance's words did not reassure him.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are highly appreciated


End file.
